Reconstructing Cenozoic Dynamic Topography

Dynamic topography, the transient deflection of Earth's surface driven by mantle convection, exerts a first-order control on continental flooding, sedimentary basin subsidence, and long-term eustatic sea level. Changes in dynamic topography have been invoked to explain the widespread Cretaceous marine transgression, the subsequent retreat of epicontinental seas, and regional patterns of uplift and subsidence that cannot be attributed to tectonics alone.

Here I present global, high-resolution retrodictions of dynamic topography evolution over the Cenozoic, constrained by seismic tomography, plate kinematic reconstructions, and geological proxies of past surface elevation. These models reveal how migrating mantle upwellings and downwellings have driven substantial changes in surface elevation across multiple continents throughout the Cenozoic. The retrodicted patterns of dynamic topography change provide estimates of mantle-driven sea level contributions, offering new constraints on interpreting the stratigraphic and palaeogeographic record in terms of deep Earth processes.